a negotiation update from WMU-AAUP president, Dr. Cathryn Bailey
Dear Western Michigan University Colleagues,
Unfortunately, today’s long day of mediation, which had been prematurely initiated by the WMU Administration, has resulted in almost no change in their compensation position. As you may recall, the Administration proudly made an initial raise offer to WMU-AAUP faculty of 2.75/2.5 (first and second year) and then refused to budge during days of negotiations, despite the fact that the WMU-AAUP has compromised—our last offer was an 8/8.
The Administration’s current offer is 2.75/2.75. Yes, that’s correct, after weeks of grueling back and forth with our team, the Administration has come up by 1/4 of one percentage point. Their dogged determination to stand by their insulting offer—and, most likely, enlist the support of the mediator to validate it—is a reminder to us that we have more work to do to persuade them that we mean business. And, as a reminder, the deadline to come to a deal is this Friday.
With this in mind, I urge you to:
- stop by Montague House to pick up fliers to distribute
- meet up at Bronco Bash tomorrow in your WMU-AAUP t-shirt if you have one (initial meetup is in the lobby of Sangren Hall at 3:00; if you arrive later, we will be moving, so look for the WMU-AAUP t-shirts in the crowd to join up)
- come to the Wednesday gathering at noon between the Student Center and Sangren Hall
- subscribe to/check out the blog http://www.thewmuaaup.com daily to find more ways to get involved and to stay updated; follow the WMU-AAUP on Facebook
In solidarity and with determination,
Cathryn
Strength in solidarity 